


Here We Go Again

by OnlyJustAMemory



Series: A Little Less Broken Together [2]
Category: Legacies (TV 2018), The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fluff, Hope Mikaelson Needs a Hug, Lizzie Saltzman Needs a Hug, Relationship Reveal, Sort of klaroline but not intense, Timeline? What Timeline?, there are many hugs that happen, we need more hayley & caroline solidarity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:08:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21978604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnlyJustAMemory/pseuds/OnlyJustAMemory
Summary: “The first time Caroline meets Hope Mikaelson is when she enrolls into the Salvatore School.”(Or three important moments in time with Caroline and Hope){part of a series but can be read alone}
Relationships: Caroline Forbes & Alaric Saltzman, Caroline Forbes & Hayley Marshall, Caroline Forbes & Hope Mikaelson, Caroline Forbes & Josie Saltzman, Caroline Forbes & Klaus Mikaelson, Caroline Forbes & Lizzie Saltzman, Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson, Hayley Marshall & Hope Mikaelson, Hayley Marshall & Hope Mikaelson & Klaus Mikaelson, Hope Mikaelson & Klaus Mikaelson, Hope Mikaelson & Lizzie Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson/Lizzie Saltzman
Series: A Little Less Broken Together [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1582078
Comments: 2
Kudos: 188





	Here We Go Again

{1}

The first time Caroline meets Hope Mikaelson is when she enrolls into the Salvatore School. 

She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but seeing Hope in the flesh somehow surprises her. Caroline knew she was Hayley and Klaus’s daughter, and therefore would look like them, but thinking it and seeing it are too different things. She tries to ignore the spark of anger that appears. She has two kids of her own, and a relationship that happened years and years ago shouldn’t bother her still ( and yet it does ).

She shows Hope around the school while Alaric goes off with Hayley to discuss finances and logistics. The younger girl is quiet the entire time, only nodding her head or saying a faint ‘yes’ or ‘no’ when Caroline asks a question. It’s partly a timid quiet, but laced within it is a guarded quiet. She’s trying to distance herself by not speaking up and that breaks Caroline’s heart. She had heard of what had happened with the Hollow, but she didn’t realize it was this bad. Hope’s logic is that if she doesn’t involve herself, she won’t get attached to people, and if she doesn’t get attached, then she won’t be hurt when they leave (because it’s obvious that’s what she believes they will do). 

Caroline tries to introduce her to some of the other kids, get her to open up a bit, but Hope’s heart just isn’t in to it. In the end she leads her back to her mom so they can say their goodbyes. Tears are involved, as there usually is at this part, but it’s deeper than the usual separation anxiety. Hope seems terrified, but is trying her best not to let that show. Hayley can clearly see through that though and all Caroline can think about is how much hell this seven-year-old child has already been through. Hope had never had a stable, set home. She’d never had the chance to grow up with both her parents. She’d spent years waiting to meet her father, and then when the time came she’d barely gotten to be with him before he was ripped away. Knowing Klaus, he was going to end up thinking that it was best for Hope not to have him around and that was only going to make things worse. 

Caroline prayed that Hope was as strong as her parents, because she was going to need to be brave. If there was one thing life had taught her it was that tragedy quickly becomes an old friend.

  
  


{2}

It takes awhile for the news to reach her, but when it does, Caroline can’t help the few tears that well up in her eyes. Hayley is dead.

It may have been true that once upon a time they’d hated each other, but things had changed. After Hope’s enrollment, they’d restarted on better terms and that had evolved into the kind of relationship where they got coffee together every week. Caroline could confidently say that Hayley was one of her closest friends.

They’d bonded over their lives, and it was ultimately them both being mothers that brought them so close together. It was nice having Hayley there. They were able to just spill all their troubles to one another without any worries.

Now all that was gone.  _ Hayley _ was gone. And Hope… Oh god, the poor girl was going to be devastated. She’d be blaming herself for what had happened and Caroline knew from experience that was a very dangerous path to follow.

She’s already making plans to head back to the school when she hears that both Klaus and Elijah are dead as well.

Caroline forgoes the booking flights and rearranging her schedule and heads straight to the airport to compel a private jet.

——————————————————————————

Caroline finds Hope in her room. She’s sitting on the edge of her bed, just staring at a line of photos on her desk. They’re all of her and her family, different moments captured over time. Caroline recognizes one and she realizes it's from the Mikaelson ball, all those years ago. 

_ She’s trying to hang onto the last pieces of her family she has left,  _ Caroline thinks. 

There are bags under Hope’s eyes and she looks beyond exhausted. The way her whole body is shaking slightly and how tightly her fists are clenched tells Caroline how hard Hope is trying to keep it together.

She sits down next to the younger girl and that seems to be the final crack in the dam. Everything comes flooding over and Hope breaks. Tears stream down her face and full-body sobs consume her.

Caroline doesn’t need Hope to tell her what to do, because she already knows. Being a mother is like speaking a universal language at times, and although Caroline isn’t Hope’s mother, she’s going to do her damn best to be there for her. She opens her arms and Hope immediately falls into them, the need for comfort and support overwhelming. She squeezes her tightly and stays as Hope lets out all the emotions she’d been keeping in.

It’s nothing compared to what Hope’s going through, but Caroline can feel the heavy weight of grief on her heart too. She’d loved Klaus, there was no point in denying it anymore. Even after all that had happened, a part of her would always belong to him, the barrier of death unable to change that. They hadn’t been destined for each other, but their love was that of a raging fire: you could try your best to put it out, but there would always be some embers left over that could easily be stoked again.

She pushes down the hurt. There would be time to address how she felt later; this wasn’t about her. This was about Hope, who had just lost both her parents within a short span of time.

From now on, Caroline would do whatever she could to help Hope. Afterall, family wasn’t always defined by blood.

{3}

Caroline knows she needs a break from all the researching and travelling she’s doing. As important as it is for her to find a way to avoid the merge, she’d been doing this for years and there’s no point in trying if she isn’t at her best. She’s dying to see her girls and to catch up with Ric, and finally one night she gives in. She packs her bags and is on a flight heading home the next day.

——————————————————————————

There’s a different kind of energy surrounding the school when she arrives. She’d heard about Malivore and all the monsters through a very interesting phone call with Ric, but she’d never considered the impact it would have on the school. 

It’s like the kids are constantly on edge, which isn’t surprising. They don’t know when the next monster is coming or what it’s going to be. Caroline’s willing to bet that none of them had faced any true supernatural danger before (humans were another force entirely) and that this was like seeing the world from a completely new angle.

Her home had changed and it’s going to take a while for her to decide whether for the better or worse.

——————————————————————————

Josie turns out to be in one of the common rooms. Her head is buried in a book and Caroline holds back for a moment to just take in her daughter. She’s grown up so much lately and that scares Caroline. It reminds her that if she doesn’t find a solution soon, the Merge will be upon them and she’ll lose one of her daughters.

“Mom?”

The sound of Josie’s voice breaks Caroline train of thought. The teenage witch is looking at her like she can’t quite believe that she’s there, and Caroline smiles.

“Hey, baby.”

She’d barely finished the last syllable before Josie throws her arms around her. Caroline laughs and swings them around, hugging her daughter just as tightly back.

“What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t going to come visit ‘till the summer!”

“Yeah, well I thought I’d come home a bit earlier,” Caroline says. She leans slightly down to kiss her cheek, but Josie jerks back before she can, a blush rising on her cheeks.

“Stop it, Mom,” she mutters, anxiously looking around to make sure no one is watching. “Go embarrass Lizzie.”

“Speaking of, where is your sister?”

Josie shrugs and sits down on the arm of the couch. From the way she’s avoiding her eyes, Caroline can tell she knows but isn’t willing to divulge the other girl’s location. 

“Josie,” Caroline says, making sure to over pronounce each syllable. She’s giving her the most intense ‘mom’ stare she can muster.

“Ok ok ok, stop giving me that look. I’m seventeen and that still makes me feel like I’ve done something wrong. Lizzie’s down by the lake.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.” Caroline flicks Josie nose, sneaks in another hug, and heads off to the dock.

——————————————————————————

From the angle Caroline is approaching the water, she can only see Lizzie’s side. It takes a second for her to realize that her daughter is with someone. She’s laughing at something that was said and that look of pure joy on her face… Lizzie wasn’t just with  _ someone _ … she was with someone she  _ liked _ . Caroline brightens at the idea of getting to embarrass her daughter (while also having the chance to put the fear of Caroline Forbes-Salvatore in them). 

As she gets closer, her vision sharpens. Lizzie’s with-

“Hope?” Caroline whispers, shocked. She’s obviously a lot louder than she thought because both girls turn towards her fast.

“Mom!” Lizzie yells, a similar reaction to that of her twin. She jumps up and throws her arms around her mother. Caroline hugs her back, but half of her mind is still stuck on the fact that she’s with  _ Hope _ . Hope Mikaelson, the girl who shuts out almost everyone. The girl that Lizzie has hated and complained about for  _ years _ .  _ Hope Mikaelson _ , Klaus’s daughter.

“What are you-“ Lizzie follows Caroline line of sight and realizes what’s going on. She breaks out of the embrace. “Oh.”

Hope gingerly stands and joins Lizzie’s side. The duo look like they’ve been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

“I can explain,” Lizzie starts, and Caroline raises an eyebrow. She doesn’t know  _ exactly _ what’s going on right now, but she knows  _ something  _ is going on.

Hope is appearing to be equally as amused as Caroline is. Just from a glance, Caroline can tell the girl has changed a lot since she last saw her. She’s more open, and there’s a smile on her face. The way her body is also subconsciously leaning towards Lizzie tells Caroline a lot too.

“Uhhhhhh…” For once, Lizzie is speechless and Caroline would be lying if she didn’t find this whole situation funny (albeit surprising).

“Hey, Mrs. Forbes,” The other witch cuts in. “It’s nice to see you.”

“You too, Hope.” 

There’s a pause and then, “Are you two…” Caroline trails off. She doesn’t need to finish the sentence; they all know what she’s asking. 

The two young girls exchange a look and there seems to be some unspoken conversation going on between them. After a few seconds pass, Lizzie groans and turns back.

“Yeah, we’re dating. Hope’s my girlfriend.”

Even though it’s the answer she was expecting, Caroline is still a tiny bit startled. It’s not that Lizzie’s dating a girl, or even that Lizzie likes girls, it’s that it’s  _ Hope Mikaelson _ .

It’s like some weird déjà vu. Hope, looking so much like her dad, and her own daughter...

“How long has this been going on for?” Caroline asks, trying her best to keep her face neutral.

It succeeds apparently, based on the panicked expression on Lizzie’s face. She keeps opening and closing her mouth, trying to find words that just aren’t there. Finally, a croaked “around two months,” comes out.

Caroline thinks about this for a second and then, “And you want this?”

Hope obviously wants to say something (probably snarky) back to that, but stops herself, letting Lizzie answer.

“I like her, Mom. I really, really like her… I love her.”

Hope straightens up sharply at that and she turns to look at Lizzie. 

“Do you- do you mean that?”

“Of course I do, dummy. You’re freakin’ perfect and while that admittedly did use to annoy me, I’ve channeled that annoyance into something else.” Lizzie takes one of Hope’s hands in her own. “How could I not be head-over-heels for you? God knows half this school is.”

Hope snorts and her expression softens into something akin to pure admiration. “I love you too.”

They’re lost in their own world. The way they stare at each other… Caroline knows that look all too well. She’d been apart of it once. She knew what the dance was like.

She knew how wild those flames burned, how blinding they were. She knew how easy it was to choke on the smoke that came with it, but also how to thrive on its warmth.

Caroline had walked through a fire like that and had been left with the scorch marks to prove it.

Apart of Caroline wanted to grab onto Lizzie and never let go, never let Hope have her. She wanted to be able to protect her child from the harsh reality of the world, but as much as she hated to admit it, Lizzie already knew those realities. She was living through them. 

This wasn’t about Caroline though. This was about them.

She remembers the first time she’d met Hope. A little seven-year-old girl who’d experienced more pain than some do in a lifetime. Caroline remembers her eyes and the walls she’d built around herself. Images of that girl years later appear, broken and bruised. She’s still just a kid, but now even more lost than before. All traces of happiness or joy have completely vanished within her.

And Lizzie, her wonderful, beautiful, Lizzie. There had been so many expectations placed upon her shoulders, and while Caroline had always tried to take away some of that burden, Lizzie still buckled under the pressure of it. She was constantly fighting an uphill battle within, but most people didn’t see that. They saw what they thought they knew and never considered that they might be wrong. 

Caroline sees the way they’re looking at each other, both shining brighter than the sun, smiling with the force of all the love in their hearts, and yeah. This isn’t about her.

It’s about them. This is their story, and she isn’t going to ruin their chance of maybe finally feeling whole again together…

_ Together. _

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Ta-da! I had a lot of fun writing this and I hope you all liked :)


End file.
